Safety cap



Oct. 13, 1959 T. J. O'DONNELL 2,908,413

SAFETY CAP Filed June 16, 1958 [/0 /7 7 l /7 I I I /f j l l I ref 4 22435 9- A? if;

I INVENTOR. THOMAS J. O Doumsu.

United States Patent SAFETY CAP Thomas J. ODonnell, Flushing, N.Y.,assignor of fifteen percent to Michael Felix, East Meadow, N.Y.

Application June 16, 1958, Serial No. 742,096

3 Claims. (Cl. 2'159) This invention relates to receptacles and, moreparticularly, to a receptacle having safety closure means associatedtherewith.

The fact that many containers are easily opened is a contributing causeto many accidental injuries and deaths to small infants and children.Since many dangerous chemicals, medicines, and the like, are stored inreceptacles which are easily opened, they represent a hazard whenavailable to small children that are not aware of the nature of thecontents. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a receptacle that is particularly suited for the storage anddispensing of dangerous materials so as to prevent children from gainingaccess thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a receptaclehaving a closure cap which is securely retained in a closed positionuntil properly manipulated in a predetermined manner that requires asubstantial amount of dexterity and intelligence far exceeding thatavailable to most infants and children.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide areceptacle of the type described which can be readily opened by adultsknowing the instructions therefore, and which can be manufactured inlarge quantities at relatively low cost.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of thisinvention will become apparent from a study of the followingspecification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of areceptacle closure made in accordance with the present invention in alocked position;

Figure 2 is a viewsimilar to Figure 1, showing the parts in an openposition;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of one member forming a part of thepresent invention;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of a lock member forming anotherpart of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a member shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the member shown in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the neck of the receptacle forminganother part of the present invention; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged transverse cross sectional view taken along line8-8 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2thereof, a receptacle closure device 10 made in accordance with thepresent invention is shown in operative association with a bottle 12having a neck 13 that is provided With threaded grooves 14 and a ridge15 which is intermediate the threads 14 and the main portion of thereceptacle.

The closure device includes a main cap portion 17 which has threads 18similar to those threads 14 on the receptacle neck 14. The upper end ofthe main cap member 17 has a closed end wall 20, adjacent to which aknurled portion 19 is provided for facilitating rotation adjacent to thelarger 'detent 29a,

of this member. The opposite end of the main cap member 17 is providedwith a radially outwardly extending bead 21, for purposes hereinafterdescribed.

A lock cap member 23, in the form of an annular band 24 having aradially inwardly directed flange 25 at an inner end and a radiallyoutwardly extending bead 27 at the opposite outerend, is slidablysupported upon the open end of the main cap member 17. This lock capmember 23 is further provided with a pair of diametrically opposite,radially inwardly extending detents 29a, b which serve to lock theassembly in a manner hereinafter more fully described. These detents29a, b and the radially inwardly extending flange 25 also define theopposite limits for the reciprocating longitudinal movement of the lockcap member 23 upon the open end of the main cap member 17 since theradially outwardly extending bead 21 of the main cap member 17 isdisposed therebetween.

The ridge 15 on the neck 13 of the container is further provided withindents 31a, b at diametrically opposite sides which are slightly largerthan the respective detents 29a, b of the lock cap member for slidablyre ceiving them during the longitudinal movement of the lock cap member.A mark or impression 32 disposed on the outside of the lock cap member23 immediately provides a reference for alignment with a similar lock orindentation 33 on the neck 13 of the container.

In actual use, the lock cap member 23 prevents the removal of the maincap member 17 since the inwardly directed detents 29a, b underlie theridge 15 on the neck of the bottle, as is more clearly shown in Figures1 and 8. However, when the lock cap member 23 is rotated to the openposition 23a with the marks 32, 33 in proper alignment with each other,the large detent 29a and the small detent 29b can be displaced throughthe similarly shaped spaces 31a, b, respectively, in the ridge 15- so asto dislodge these detents from locking engagement beneath the ridge 15.When so moved to the open position 23a, as shown in Figure 2, the maincap member 17 may be rotated to unscrew it from the threaded neck of thecontainer, thus providing access to the interior thereof. After use, allthat is necessary to replace the parts is to first screw the main capmember 17 back down upon the neck of the container and rotate the marker32 on the lock cap member 23 back into locking engagement with the ridgeof the container. It is virtua'lly impossible to open the containerunless the parts have been fully orientated in accordance with theforegoing explanation.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to theconstruction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such isnot to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, whichis best defined by the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A receptacle comprising, in combination, a substantially rigidcontainer, a threaded neck extending outwardly from one end of saidcontainer, a closure cap member, screw threads within the interior ofsaid closure cap member for threaded engagement with said threaded neck,a lock cap member carried by said closure cap member releasably lockingsaid cap member upon said neck, said neck comprising a ridgeintermediate said container portion and said threads, and means carriedby said lock cap member releasably engageable with said ridge, said lockcap member comprising an annular rim longitudinally slidably supportedupon said closure cap member, and a pair of diametrically spaced apartradially inwardly extending detents in said rim, and a pair ofdiametrically opposite indents in said container ridge,

slidably receiving said detents longitudinally therethrough.

2. A receptacle as set forth in claim 1, wherein one end of said closurecap member comprises an end wall, the opposite end of said closure capmember comprising a radially outwardly extending'bead, and one inner endof said lock cap member defining a radially inwardly extending flange,said bead of said main closure cap member engaging said flange anddetents of said lock cap member at the opposite extremities of saidlongitudinal movement of said lock cap member.

3-. A receptacle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Chapman Feb. 10, 1914Horner et a1. Jan. 31, 1933 Von Till Sept. 7, 1937 Overmyer Nov. 8,

